Orthosis devices and appliances commonly referred to as “orthotics,” are known in the prior art and have been utilized for many years by orthotists (a maker and fitter of orthotics), physical therapists, and occupational therapists to assist in the rehabilitation of a patient's joints and associated limbs or adjacent skeletal parts of the patient's body related to a variety of conditions. An early example can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,741 to Rosman, which discloses a knee brace comprising an upper rigid body portion and a lower rigid body portion pivotably coupled together on the lateral side in a manner so that they may pivot relative to each other about an axis generally perpendicular to the zone of overlap and may slide relative to each other in all radial directions generally parallel to the zone of overlap.
Webster's New College Dictionary defines “orthotics” as a branch of mechanical medical science that deals with the support and bracing of weak or ineffective joints or muscles. The word “ortho” actually comes from Greek and means “to straighten.” Orthotics are used to support, straighten, and stabilize affected joints and assist to correct normal human function as closely as possible. Orthotics used as knee braces have typically been designed to support and protect the knee joint that is associated with a variety of knee joint conditions, for alleviating pain associated with joint movement at the particular location being treated or for immobilizing the knee joint so that movement thereof in either the medial or lateral directions or rotation of the knee is eliminated or at least significantly reduced.
Repetitive use of a joint, such as the knee, over time tends to reduce the stability of the knee. In cases of injury through accident or sports related causes, instability of the knee can be exacerbated and worsened to the point that without immobilization or support of the knee joint by an orthotic, a person cannot bear the weight of their own body upon the knee joint. Or to do so results in great pain, which is usually treated with pain medications that can be addictive and hard on the liver and other important organs of the body. Further, when there is a lack of movement of a patient due to knee instability, a sedentary lifestyle is usually taken up, which can result in a reduction of body energy, weight gain, atrophied muscles concentrated around the knee joint, and a general depression of mental state due to the lack of ability of the person to be self-sufficient and mobile.
Therefore, it can be plainly seen that knee orthotics of all types are useful if they assist a person in returning to a more normal lifestyle or at least one that is significantly less sedentary when compared to the immobile person with an instable knee. It can be said that proper use of the knee joints is essential to complete body health and a proper state of mind.
It is well known, as complaints are abundant, that not all knee orthotics or braces that stabilize the knee are comfortable to wear. In fact, most knee orthotics apply unwanted pressure to the thigh and the shin of the patient when the patient walks, squats, or flexes the knee joint. This is because all prior art knee orthotics are typically made from very hard and rigid materials that do not flex and move with the changing conditions of the body (i.e., expansion and contraction of the leg musculature). Such areas of change include the knee joint area and the upper and lower leg when the patient is walking, flexing, or squatting. This can be particularly seen with the shin cuff that applies a great amount of pressure against the shin of the patient when the patient squats. This pressure, therefore, discourages the patient from performing any squatting action, which in turns encourages the patient to remain sedentary, resulting in the degradation of physical and mental state.
Further, prior art knee orthotics do not apply therapeutic and corrective forces to the knee joint area and the surrounding leg musculature area. Such is needed in combination with a flexible and pliable brace that incorporates a system for reducing or eliminating pressure placed against the shin of the patient when the patient walks or flexes the knee joint or when he squats his body. This can also include alone or together a system for reducing or eliminating pressure placed against the thigh of the patient when the patient walks or flexes the knee joint or when he squats. The specific elements that accomplish such pressure elimination include, in the present invention, flexible and pliable materials for one or both the shin or thigh cuffs, and hinged shin and thigh cuffs that permit rotation from a 90 degree position to a degree of at least 45 degrees, if not further.